ACT ONE; INITIATE CONTACT
SCENE THREE; CURIOSITY KILLED THE CAT
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BEING A TEACHER WASN'T SOMETHING SALEM ALWAYS PLANNED ON DOING. She thought of being a nurse like her mother, but she didn't want to work in such a sterile, uniform environment. Her presence often unnerved other people, even when they didn't know what she was they could typically just sense that something was off about her, and she didn't think that that was a quality that anybody wanted in a nurse.

Art had always been important to her, and being a teacher was easier in her mind because teenagers are usually too absorbed in their own little worlds to notice anything weird about her, so it's not like she had to put too much effort into being someone else.

Some days she questioned her decision to become an art teacher, because most students didn't have any interest in pursuing art outside of the fact that it was required to graduate, but there was always at least one student who had a passion for it, and it was always enough to reassure her that even though she didn't have artwork hanging in the Louvre, she was still inspiring someone to do what they love. Her mother had done the same for her her whole life, and the least she could do is try and be that for someone else.

Most of the time, the students with the most talent were the ones you least expected it from. Salem was happily surprised when students like Tyler Lockwood or Jeremy Gilbert showed interest in art, even if she knew they didn't advertise it to the entire school.

Salem was younger than most teachers, having accelerated through college and being lucky enough to find a job as soon as she graduated in her hometown nonetheless, so the students tended to see her less like an authority figure, so she was comfortable enough to encourage those underdog students like Tyler or Jeremy, in the hopes that they'd take it from someone close enough in age to them that they'd still listen to what she had to say without brushing her off.

Along with the students like Tyler, came the ones like Caroline Forbes, who had suddenly appeared in her classroom with all of her blonde-haired, blue-eyed fury blazing at some plight that Salem is sure doesn't need to be dramatized like Caroline tends to do.

"We need you in the gym, Ms. Kenner, it's an emergency." Caroline breathed out, her blue eyes frantic with the panic of a typical teenager who had no other concerns besides school. "The placing of the streamers is all wrong, and Dana refuses to take them down and redo them."

Salem smiles slightly and pushes away from her desk with a huff. "Well, if you say it's an emergency,"

Caroline smiled, relieved. "You're a life saver. You're the only one here who sees my artistic vision, I swear."

She huffs a laugh and shakes her head, grabbing her phone and her keys as she follows Caroline out into the empty hallway. Most of the students were in the student council, and they'd been decorating the gym all day for the dance tonight.

"Hey, Ric," Salem stops, motioning for Caroline to continue on towards the gym while she speaks to her friend. "Are you alright?"

The man looks up, a look of confusion shining in his eyes at the sight of her. "Yeah, I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Last night I woke up and thought I heard something break in your apartment. I wasn't sure if you were hurt or something,"

"Oh," Alaric's face clears, and he clears his throat as a dozen excuses flood his mind. "No, I just, uh, had one too many to drink. Nothing to worry about."

"Right," Salem narrows her eyes at his odd behavior before she shakes it off. "Are you still chaperoning the dance tonight?"

He nods, fingers tapping a senseless rhythm on his desk. "That's the plan."

"Awesome," She grins, tucking her braids behind her ear. "I'll see you tonight."

He nods again, almost hesitantly, before forcing an agreeing smile. "See you tonight."

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Salem adjusted the white, round hat she had secured in her hair atop her head and straightened out her dress as she made her way towards the school. Her black and white patterned dress swished along her thighs as she walked into the gym, and she smiled at the sight of the colorfully-dressed crowd gathered inside.

Despite her disdain for chaperoning, and the irritation she held for her past self that had signed her up for it in the first place, she thought it was cool to see all of the different outfits people had come up with.

She turns and walks towards the punch table, her white boots clicking soundlessly beneath the music blaring through the gym. She takes a watchful position behind the arranged food and drinks, crossing her arms over her chest as she begins to count down the minutes until she could escape back to the comfort of her home.

She's only there for a moment before her spine stiffens and the hairs on the back of her neck raise with a chill. She spins around quickly, facing the person who snuck up on her. Holding a hand to her pounding heart, she laughs a bit as he takes a position beside her. "You scared me, Ric. I couldn't even hear you behind me."

He laughs a bit, his eyes narrowing as he examines the hoard of students gathered. "I'm surprised you can hear anything right now."

"I've always had sharp ears,"

He sighs, his eyes alight with that glint of understanding that goes unnoticed by the woman. "You know, I've been told the same thing."

Abruptly, the music stops and Salem looks to the front of the gym with furrowed eyebrows.

"Thanks for being here, everybody." Dana's voice calls out through the microphone, and Salem relaxes, clapping along with everyone else. "We have a special shout out tonight. This is for Elena, from Klaus."

Salem's frown deepens and she looks around the gym, watching as Elena Gilbert looks around almost frantically. "Weird,"

"What is?"

She shakes her head, sparing a glance at Alaric out of the corner of her eye. "I thought Elena was dating Stefan Salvatore." Her eyes drift over to a raven-haired man that approaches Ric with familiarity, and she eyes him oddly.

"Did you hear that?" The man doesn't notice her right away, but his eyes light up when he finally does. "Oh, hello there. Who are you?"

"I'm Salem. Art teacher and miserable chaperone." She smiles, offering the man a hand.

Her eyes widen when he twists her hand, and raises it to press a chaste kiss on the back of it, and she huffs a laugh at the action. She smiles and flutters her lashes, and he smirks at the curiosity in her gaze. "Damon Salvatore. Lovely to meet you, Salem."

"Likewise, Damon," She grins at his charm, still eyeing him closely. "Any relation to Stefan?"

"He's my little brother, if you can believe it. You'd think he was a hundred years old with how he acts."

She nods, eyes flicking to the dance floor momentarily. "He's one of my best students. He must get his talent from somewhere."

Damon's eyebrow quirks up with interest and she grins impossibly wide. "Oh, I like you. Ric, why have you never introduced me to your wonderful coworker?"

Shockingly, Alaric's eyes are filled with irritation, his lips drawn into a tight frown. "Because you're you."

Damon holds a hand to his heart, mocking offense. His blue eyes darted to Salem again, raking them up and down her themed outfit. "Don't listen to him, he's a total buzzkill."

He jerks his eyes to the dance floor, and offers her a hand. "Care for a dance?"

She shrugs and takes his hand, letting him drag her towards the gaggle of students gathered. Damon looks over his shoulder as he spins Salem around, earning a shocked laugh that makes him smirk. "You and I will talk later, okay?"

Alaric rolls his eyes, and watches them go with a frown marring his scruffy face.  

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"Having fun?"

Salem sighs, wiping her forehead off with the back of her hand as she takes a position beside Alaric once more. "I'm exhausted, but your friend Damon is funny. I can definitely understand why you think he's a dick, though."

Alaric feigns understanding, his dark eyes shifting around the gym and briefly landing on the Bennett witch. He flicks his wrist, looking at the watch adorning it momentarily. "Hey," He clears his throat, capturing Salem's attention.

For a moment, the man falters in his charade. Alaric disappears completely, and is replaced with nothing but Klaus. He's never been so... curious. About a stranger, a girl, anything. Let alone a human.

But Salem Kenner had been on his mind since early this morning when she'd stuck her head into the classroom of the man he was temporarily acting as, and smiled as bright as the sun.

Her hair cascaded from her scalp in braids that lay unwoven halfway down her back, the dark locks making the white hat atop her head look exceptionally brighter. Her dark brows that twitched and twisted with every expression she made, furrowing when she was confused and rising on her forehead when she was curious.

Her nose sloped and gave way to a set of lips that were naturally pouty and full, and had a shade that reminded him of a refreshing fruit juice that would quench your thirst on the hottest day of summer.

And her eyes, perhaps one of the most remarkable things about her, couldn't help but draw you in. They were nearly indescribable in their difference, creating a kaleidoscope of yellow and green that didn't bleed into each other. Unforgiving and warm, yet giving no leeway into the trap they created. It was almost inescapable, her piercing gaze, even filled with the apparent naivety they had right now.

It was so odd. Salem was simple, in theory. A human, with a preset course of destiny. She'd likely work in this high school her entire life, teaching kids about art that she'd one day lose passion for because she'd never gotten a true reward for her talent.

She was a friend of the history teacher's, and an insignificant blip on his quick path to get his curse broken and become a true hybrid. Yet any time he found himself dawdling, or trailing in thought, it was her in his mind.

He almost wished he had more time to spare, and his own body, so he could at least entertain this fascination he seemed to have with her. But he had neither of those things right now, which meant he had no room for the distraction she caused.

Clearing his throat, he forced a small smile and met her ensnaring gaze. "Cover for me, yeah? I need to go to the bathroom."

"Of course, Ric." She waves him off, a smile on her face as she pats the top of his hand and turns him towards his destination.

The Alaric-Klaus hybrid turns away and clears his mind of the woman behind him, and changes the direction of his path towards the double doors leading outside where he knew Elena and Bonnie were.

And with Salem gone from his mind, he misses the way she touches her hand confusingly after coming in contact with him. He misses the way she turns to watch him go out the exit with narrowed, suspicious eyes, and he misses the way that her mismatched irises flood entirely with yellow and glow dimly in the gym.

The woman taps the pads of her fingers together again, biting her tongue. First, she'd come to learn that Damon Salvatore was a vampire, which meant Stefan was, too. Once she touched Damon's hand, it didn't take a genius to put two and two together.

But Alaric, he was odd. For a moment she thought he'd tell her why he'd been acting so weird all day, but instead he just disappeared through the gym doors. Yet his departure didn't shake the prickling at the back of her neck, and the way her fingers tingled from where she'd touched his hand.

Alaric was her friend, but he certainly wasn't human.

Rolling her eyes frustratedly, Salem ducked and weaved through the students blocking her path and stepped into the brisk air outside. Her watchful eyes scanned the front of the building before they landed on Alaric, who was taking Elena and Bonnie back into the school through a side door that led towards the cafeteria.

She contemplated going back inside, and forgetting all about it. She hadn't been involved in this business for so long, and she could always pretend she never noticed anything and continue on as the supposed oblivious human.

But Salem had never been any good at letting things go, especially things like this. Her curiosity would be the death of her.

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author's note; it might seem like im skipping a lot (and i am) but it's simply because i didn't want to write the entirety of s2 when s3 is going to be the most important for everyone's character development and stuff. the first few chaps are gonna feel sort of rushed, but it will slow down i promise

edited and published; 1.3.23.

- liz